Life goes on for tourists in Taiwan

This picture taken on August 10, 2022 shows tourist Joseph Lin practicing stand up paddling in the waters on the Kinmen islands with a view of Xiamen city (back) on the Chinese mainland. - Like many Taiwanese holidaymakers, Joseph Lin has opted to continue his travel plans to Kinmen island just off the Chinese mainland despite Beijing's recent flex of muscles around Taiwan. (Photo by Sam Yeh / AFP) / TO GO WITH: Taiwan-China-tourism-politics, FOCUS

Visiting Taiwan’s tiny Kinmen Islands last week, Joseph Lin practised standing up on his paddleboard, drifting across from the Chinese city of Xiamen, where days earlier fighter jets had screamed overhead.

The Taiwanese islets, just 3.2km from China’s coast, have become a popular tourist destination, and Beijing’s massive military drills this month failed to deter domestic visitors from jetting closer to China.